20 Rials - Qaboos Sultan Qaboos 20th Reign Anniversary, Proof

Issued to mark two decades of Sultan Qaboos bin Said's rule, which began in July 1970 when he deposed his own father, Said bin Taimur, in a palace coup supported by the British. The elder sultan had kept Oman in near-total isolation — banning radios, spectacles, and foreign travel — while oil revenues accumulated unused. Qaboos reversed course immediately, using petroleum wealth to build roads, schools, and hospitals in a country that had almost none.

KM#137.2 designates the proof striking, distinguished from the business strike variant. At 65.37 g of 22-karat gold, this is among the heavier commemorative issues of the Gulf states from this period.